The Best Laid Plans
by thenextharrypotterkids
Summary: Things don't always go to plan. Join Lily as she takes on her seventh year, with one overly flirtatious best friend, one that's head over heels in love, and - What's Potter got to do with anything? A Marauders Era story. James/Lily.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello! So, this is my first ever James/Lily fanfiction. I posted an extract of this story on my tumblr , and all my followers seemed too really like it! So, I decided to start posting a whole story version. The introduction is completely from Lily's point of view, but the rest will be in third person, except perhaps if I want Lily, who's telling the story, to speak from her point of view. So, that's about it. Oh, I don't own Harry Potter. JK Rowling does. That's obviously not me. Well... Enjoy the story!**

**Note: Thank you SO much to my amazing beta reader ( and she's a rather amazing person if you ask me) faithless98! She has given me so many tips for this story, so you should all go check out her story ' The Missing 19 Years '.**

/

If you had asked me, six months ago, how I thought my seventh year at Hogwarts would go, then I would probably have been able to give you a rather detailed outline of my year. Well, I suppose it's more like a set of rules than a wish list, but the point remains.

1. Carry out my Head Girl duties with the upmost respect and authority, just as the post requires and deserves.

2. Pass all my N.E.W.T.s (preferably with all of them Outstanding, probably not, but one can dream!)

3. Have some REAL fun this year, and let Marlene and Alice help me relax slightly (But not too much relaxing and fun… maybe we'll review this one. Oh bugger it. Never mind.)

If you had even bothered asking me about where James Potter and the marauders would come into my year, I would have laughed.

_Really_ laughed, and told you this.

4. Rule number four, probably the most important rule there is: I will _not _let James Potter, or his little band of friends, affect me in any way this year.

None at all.

I'll stay away, and get on with my life. And it will all be absolutely fine.

Funny isn't it, the concept of plans? If there's one thing I've learnt this year, it's how very little control we actually have over our lives.

My hopes for that particular plan unfolding effortlessly were crushed the moment I stepped onto the Hogwarts Express, to start my final year of school.

And _now_, if you walked past me, six months since you'd asked me about how my seventh year would go, you might be surprised to see me sitting alone.

In a corridor.

Crying.

You might stop and ask me what's wrong.

_Where_ it all went wrong.

And I've come to the conclusion that there's no way I can answer than in just a few sentences.

So, you better take a seat, metaphorical person, and listen up. We'll need to go right back to the beginning, all the way back to the first day of term. The day when James Potter came into my life, and refused to leave. And now he's not going to leave. Partly because I don't want him too anymore.

September 1st, 1978.

"LILY EVANS! GET YOUR HEAD GIRL BUTT OVER HERE NOW!"

Lily spun around, her eyebrows raised at the person shouting at her.

"No need to shout, Alice!" She teased, sticking her tongue out.

Alice Prewett simply shook her head, strands of blonde hair flying wildly around her face as she did so.

Lily let out another laugh, and ran towards her best friend, throwing her arms around her.

"It's been so _long_!" Lily squealed into Alice's shoulder.

Alice giggled in response. "It's been a week, Lil."

"So?" She exclaimed, pulling back and studying her friend at arm's length.

Alice shrugged. "Good point." She said before hugging her again, laughing.

"Oi, ladies! Where's my hug?" Lily and Alice broke apart, and scanned the platform for the owner of that familiar voice. Quickly finding it, the two girls sprinted towards their friend.

"Marlene!" Alice exclaimed, enveloping the dark haired girl in a hug.

Marlene McKinnon winked a grey eye at Lily.

"Hello there, Head girl." She smiled.

"Hello there." Lily grinned back as she moved past Alice to hug her friend.

A great deal of excitable squeaking later, the girls, still exchanging pleasantries, headed towards the train.

"Morocco was _amazing_, girls. We all need to go once we're finished with school. It's definitely getting added to the world trip list." Marlene said decisively, leaning her head back to examine the sky.

Lily and Alice exchanged a meaningful look. It was the same every summer. Marlene would jet off somewhere exotic, and then, when they were back at school, she would add it to her ' Lil, Al, and Marlene's World Tour ' list. The list was very, _very_ long now, after seven years of the same routine.

"The food there was brilliant too." She said dreamily, smacking her lips together. "So were the locals, if you know what I mean." She smirked, waggling her eyebrows suggestively at the pair.

Lily and Alice rolled their eyes and laughed, as they turned the corner of the station. Seeing the Hogwarts Express again, Lily found she couldn't help the grin that took over her face. Every time she saw it, was like the first time. She loved the train so much. It was her transport, her very first solid bit of proof, her first connection to a new, amazing, brilliant world, a world that was all hers.

The three girls continued to chat as they boarded the train, sliding into the nearest empty compartment. They all flopped down on the seats, trying to get comfortable as Marlene continued to talk about Morocco. "They had the best markets too." She commented, as she whipped out a compact mirror and a lip gloss from her bag. "Dead cultural, you know?" She applied her lip gloss as she spoke, which muffled her voice. "So, enough about my summer. How was your summer, guys?" Marlene smiled as she asked, still inspecting her make up in the mirror.

Alice sighed slightly. "Wales was alright. Quite wet. And gloomy. So no marks for the weather." She pursed her lips as she ran her hand through her blonde hair. "It was peaceful though. Good for walking, and just taking a break. No hustle and bustle. Mum and Dad loved it." She said. "I mainly hung around with Fabian and Gideon though."

Marlene's eyes lit up as she snapped the mirror shut. "Those two are _hilarious._ They had to brighten up the trip, right?" Marlene offered.

Alice grinned and nodded. "Yup. They were fun. It was great. Especially as I haven't seen much of them since they left for this job." Alice said softly.

Lily brought her legs up so she was sitting on top of them on the seat. "How is that job going, anyway?" The red head asked slightly cautiously.

Alice sighed, and tilted her head. " Good. Great, apparently. They can't talk much about the order, for obvious reasons, but they said that they were doing great things. Productive things." Alice said, before looking down at the floor.

Seeing the familiar look of fear that flashed in Alice's eyes at the mention of her brothers, Lily reached over and gave her a sympathetic squeeze on the arm. Both Marlene and Lily knew how much Alice fretted over her older, twin brothers. She tried not to show it, but it was only natural to worry about them. There was a war going on, for Merlin's sake and Fabian and Gideon were as involved with fighting against it as it was possible to be.

After a little silence, Alice looked back up again, and forced herself to smile at Lily. "How about you Lils? An eventful summer?"

Lily gave a snort of derision and lay back in her chair. "Hardly. Mainly tried to stay out of Mr and Mrs Dursley's way." She pulled a disgusted face at the mere thought.

Just before Christmas, while Lily was still at school, Petunia and Vernon had tied the knot. Lily had not been invited. Not that she'd expected or wanted to be.

Marlene shook her head sympathetically at her friend. "I mainly spent the summer with Mum." She said gently, not making eye contact with either of them.

"How… how is your mum?" Marlene asked, quietly.

The half-smile on Lily's face disappeared. "Oh. She's..." Lily sighed, "She's not doing very well, really. They think...they think the cancer might have spread more." Lily took a deep breath to calm herself.

Late last year, her Mum, her beautiful, smiling, strong mother, had gone to the doctors for a regular check-up, nothing out of the ordinary. She had come back with the devastating news that she had breast cancer. Lily had cried for hours when her Mum had owled her, telling her the news. 'Nothing to worry about dear, really!' She'd wrote. Lily hadn't believed her, and she was right not to. Looks of concern appeared on her friends faces.

"Oh Lil! I'm so sorry." Alice exclaimed, patting the red head comfortingly on the knee.

"Me too, Lily. That's awful." Marlene added.

Lily gave them both a grateful look. "Yeah...everything that can be done has been done, there's nothing that anyone can do now. We just need to... make her comfortable, I suppose." She smiled sadly.

A melancholy silence engulfed the carriage once more broken only seconds later by Lily's sudden jump from her seat and cry of, "Crap! I need to go. Prefect briefing in five minutes!" All sadness left as quickly as it had entered and Alice and Marlene chuckled as they watched Lily flap around the carriage, flustered.

Go get 'em, Head girl." Marlene joked, playfully punching her in the arm.

Alice giggled. "Who do you think head boy will be?" The blonde asked excitedly.

Lily paused to think this over and shrugged. "Diggory most likely. He was prefect last year. Or maybe Remus."

The girls nodded in agreement, although Marlene raised an eyebrow. "A Marauder? Unlikely. Unless Dumbledore's completely lost it!"

Lily laughed. "Remus is the only one I can stand, really. And maybe Peter and Black. Don't even get me started on Potter." She grumbled.

Alice and Marlene exchanged an annoyingly knowing look and Lily furrowed her eyebrows at them. "What?" She asked innocently.

Marlene smirked. "You do like Potter a _bit_ though, don't you?"

Lily groaned. Ever since before the holidays, when Lily may have let slip that she found Potter the teeniest, tiniest, bit attractive, the girls hadn't let her live it down.

Alice and Marlene burst into giggles. Lily shot them an aggravated look and gave them a wave. "See you later, girls!" She exited the compartment, closing the door behind her.

Lily began to walk to the prefect's compartment and as she mulled things over in her head, she sighed once again. She really hoped this year would be good. She needed a break. She'd spent nearly her whole summer looking after her Mum, and it really hurt Lily to see her mum look so frail and broken… but her mum put a smile on her face, regardless.

Lily admired that about her mum.

A lot.

When Lily reached the compartment door, she slid it open and stepped inside, only to have her vision filled with a tall, skinny figure. She looked up.

"Potter."

As she observed him she decided there was no way you could blame her for finding him attractive. He just had this whole… _thing_ going on. Secretly, she found his messy hair a little bit endearing; she liked his hazel eyes, how they always seemed happy, and his body...

_Well. He does play Quidditch, doesn't he?_ She thought to herself.

Whatever her opinions on his body, hair or eyes may have been it didn't change the fact that Lily still thought he was an arrogant, rude little toe rag.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She said, exasperatedly.

James Potter smiled down at her, catching Lily off guard.

_He's smiling? Where's the smirk?_ She thought, suspiciously.

"Lily! You're looking well!" He grinned.

Lily scrunched her nose up.

"Potter… I see you didn't break a limb during break."

James laughed.

A real laugh, not a patronising one.

_What in Godric's name is going on here?_

"You see correctly, Evans." He smiled.

The red head put a hand on her hip. "You still haven't answered me. What are you doing here?"

James gave a bewildered smile. "You really don't know?"

Lily felt her mouth go dry. "Know what...?" She asked, her voice slightly higher than normal in her panic.

James adjusted his robes, and as he did so, a glinting, metal object caught her eye.

Good god.

No.

_No._

NO!

Because sitting there, right on the left side of his robes was a badge.

The engraved swirling writing upon it read two words: Head Boy


	2. Chapter 2

/

**Chapter 2.**

"Head boy! James Potter. Head boy. Bloody head boy!" Lily grumbled, viciously stabbing at her chicken with her fork.

Marlene chuckled, shaking her head.

"I didn't believe it before, but now, I think it's safe to say, Dumbledore has officially gone bonkers." She sighed.

Lily, Marlene, Alice, and Alice's boyfriend, Frank Longbottom, were sitting in the great hall, having dinner.

The train ride had gone rather smoothly after Lily had gotten over the initial shock of James being head boy. He'd seemed...

Polite… courteous… mature.

Just…_different._

This unnerved Lily to no end.

After their earlier encounter she was fully expecting to find a fire cracker under her seat, with an arrogantly written note reading: 'Did you seriously think I'd grown up, Evans!? How thick can you get?'

In fact, Lily thought she'd prefer that, it would reassure her that she hadn't simply imagined James' sudden change in behaviour and provide her with a reason for it all at once.

"Maybe he has potential. You know, he's alright once you get to know him." Frank said honestly, wrapping his arm around Alice's shoulder.

Frank and Alice were _the_ Hogwarts power couple. They'd been together for around 3 years, and anyone with eyes knew that they were in love.

Lily sighed and dropped her fork with a clatter onto her plate, prodding the chicken away from her.

"I can't believe you just used James Potter and ' alright ' in the same sentence." She huffed.

"I still can't believe we're using James Potter and ' Head Boy ' in the same sentence." Alice shrugged, resting her head on Franks' shoulder. Marlene let out a shrill cackle of laughter, throwing her head back as she did so.

"What is it, McKinnon?"? Lily asked a confused smile on her face.

Marlene continued to laugh, clutching at her stomach.

"You - you too are – so going to get together!" She spluttered, in between bouts of her hysterical laugher.

Lily's eyes widened in shock as Alice and Frank joined in with Marlene's laughing.

"What? No, we won't!" She snapped, outraged.

Frank chuckled softly, "You might. 9 times out of 10, the head boy and head girl get together." He said, popping a grape into his mouth.

Lily groaned in annoyance, "Well, we are _definitely_ not getting together. Got it?" She hissed, glaring threateningly at her three friends. Upon seeing the "death stare" as it had become affectionately known amongst them, all three friends held their hands in the air, surrendering.

"Whatever you say, Head Girl." Marlene winked.

Making an exasperated noise somewhere between a sigh and a growl, Lily stood up.

"I'm going to my room. I'll see you three tomorrow." She said, and before they could say anything, Lily was off.

/

**Meanwhile.**

"What are you saying? No more pranks? No more hexing people in corridors?" Sirius Black eyes grew wider with every word he said as he jogged to catch up with James, who was walking very quickly.

"Pads, I didn't say anything." James sighed. "I don't know what your problem is. And I stopped hexing people in corridors in fifth year. We both did." He pointed out.

Sirius shrugged. "Whatever. That's not the point. Why are you changing?"

James shook his head. "I'm not changing. Nothing's different! I'm the same as I was last year! ". Sirius let out a bark of laughter, and turned to look at the two boys beside him.

"Yeah right. You see it too, don't you? Remus? Peter?"

The slightly rounder, blonde, watery eyed boy, Peter Pettigrew, shrugged his shoulders.

"Yeah Sirius. Sure."

The boy beside him, a tired looking, tall, skinny, sandy haired boy, sighed.

"Sirius, I think James is just... trying to mature. Being Head Boy is a big deal and he can't keep on being such a, well... A prat, in so many words, if he wants it all to work out."

James narrowed his eyes." Why, thanks Moony." He said, sarcastically.

Remus gave him a toothy grin. "No problem."

Sirius shook his head. "Right, well, being head boys all well and good, but that's not why you're being less... _you_, is it?" He raised a dark eyebrow at his friend.

James fixed Sirius with an incredulous look. "I'm not being less me, for Merlin's sake! I'm not trying to be different, I promise!" He defended.

Sirius tilted his head, and seemed to study James for a minute.

"Okay, Prongs. Whatever you say. Moony's probably right. You're just maturing, yeah?" Sirius asked, seeking the reassurance he knew he needed.

James glanced up, a cautious look on his face.

"Yeah. Yeah, Moony's right." He said, regarding Sirius carefully. He lifted his arm up, and checked the watch on his wrist.

"I better get up to the Heads dorms. I'll see you tomorrow." He said, giving them a nod as he walked away from them.

Sirius smirked. "Well, you won't forget to say hello to Lily flower for me, will you Prongs?"

The three boys broke into laughter as James sent Sirius a rather rude gesture from behind his back.

Sirius sighed, a smile still on his face.

"Whatever this whole thing with James is, maturing, or whatever. You know who never liked all the parts of James that seem to have disappeared? Or at least gone on holiday? "

Remus looked at Sirius, sceptically.

"Who?" He asked wearily, out of a sense of duty more than anything else.

A mischievous grin spread across Sirius' face, "A certain Lily Evans. And man, is she going to be freaking out over this! I can't wait to hear her reaction. "He laughed, dashing down the corridor, heading for the Gryffindor dorms.

Remus sighed, and turned to look at Peter.

"I'm sure Pads will calm down." Peter tried to assure Remus.

Remus let out a deep breath as he slung his bag over his shoulder, and the pair began to walk forward.

"I hope so, Pete. I hope so. Or this year's going to be a lot more eventful than I thought."

/

"Password."

Lily sighed and reached into her pocket to take out the folded up scrap of paper McGonagall had given her, with the password scrawled on it.

Her lips twitched at the words on the paper. "Sleeping slippers." She said and the grey haired knight in the portrait smiled at her.

"Correct, Miss. You and your fellow head can change the password to whatever you like. Although, I'm afraid I haven't seen him yet..."

Lily attempted a smile, but succeeded only with a peculiar grimace. "Yes... James will probably be around shortly." She swallowed nervously.

As if the portrait sensed her unease, the knight tilted his head and gave her a sympathetic smile. "Don't worry, Miss..." He paused, waiting for her to give her name.

"Lily. Lily Evans." She said.

The knight's eyes twinkled. "Well. Don't worry, Miss Lily. I'm sure, whoever this Head Boy is; you'll get along just fine."

Lily couldn't stop herself from letting out a derisive snort.

_Me? James? Getting along? Right._

Even the simple fact that he hadn't flashed his trademark, cocky smirk in Lily's presence yet, after they'd been at Hogwarts for nearly a whole five hours made her very paranoid.

The knight simply chuckled and shook his head knowingly.

"Just you wait, Miss Lily. Things have a habit of turning out rather unexpectedly around here."

Lily sighed. "Anyway, I should probably let you in now. Oh, wait! How rude! I didn't introduce myself." The knight stomped his foot on the ground, and Lily had to stifle a giggle.

"Sir Percival, at your service. Sir Percival the knight. It's an honor to make your acquaintance."

Sir Percival took a step forward and swooped down into a low bow. Lily tried her very hardest to keep a straight face as she curtseyed back; lifting up the ends of her robes a little as she did so.

"Pleasure to meet you, Sir." She smiled kindly.

The knight gave her a cheerful nod, before the portrait swung open. Bidding Sir Percival good bye, she took a step inside.

The common room was pretty much the same as the Gryffindor one. It looked very cosy and already rather lived in, with big sofas, and throws draped over the backs of them. There was a roaring fireplace against the wall, giving the room a warm, golden glow.

After scanning the room once more, Lily turned, and started to climb the only staircase in the place. As she reached the top, she saw there was a small landing, with one door on the left side, and one door on the right.

Lily paused, and read the golden plates that were stuck to the oak doors.

_Lily Evans - Head Girl_, read the door on the left, and _James Potter - Head Boy _read the door on the right.

Lily sighed as she brought her hand up, her fingertips brushing over James' name on his door.

With another sigh, she dropped her hand to her side once more.

"Bloody Potter!" She moaned.

/

The portrait door shut firmly behind James, and he stood there, bewildered for a moment.

The knight in the portrait had seemed nice. A little peculiar perhaps, but nice.

Running his hand through his hair, he stepped into the common room, and leaned against the doorframe as he examined the room.

Sprawled on the floor of said common room, scribbling away furiously on a piece of parchment, was Lily. Her red hair was twisted into a tight bun on top of her head, and she was wearing a rather oversized jumper, and a pair of shorts.

Her face was the picture of concentration as she wrote, her tongue sticking out a little in her determined focus. She stopped writing, and scanned over what she'd already written.

_Now would probably be a good time for me to make myself known_, he thought, before taking a tentative step forward.

"Lily."

The red head jumped, her head jerking towards the door.

"Merlin Potter! You scared the living day lights out of me! "She yelped, eyes wide.

James hopped back, feeling his cheeks start to heat up.

"Sorry! Sorry Evans, didn't mean to scare you." He apologized sheepishly, staring down at his feet.

Lily bit her lip, continuing in letting out a deep breath, and flopping back to the floor.

"It's okay. No harm done I suppose. Just don't sneak up on me again." She said warningly.

James chuckled.

"Right. Course not." He scratched behind his head nervously.

"Can I... can I sit with you?"

Lily looked up at him, her eyes narrowed.

"Why?" She asked suspiciously.

James coughed, averting her gaze.

"Just thought you might like the company."

Lily kept her gaze on James for a moment, before nodding, and plopping her quill back in its ink pot.

James sat down beside Lily, bringing his knees up to hug them.

"If you try anything Potter..." She muttered as she packed up her things into her bag.

James laughed.

"Don't worry Evans. You'll be fine."

Lily smirked, before leaning back against the couch.

They sat in silence for a moment.

"What are you up to, Potter?"? Lily said quietly.

James raised an eyebrow.

"What are you on about?"? He said, confused.

Lily laughed, shaking her head.

"You know. You're... different this year. Weird."

James frowned.

"Weird? Thanks a bunch, Evans."

Lily hit him on the arm.

"No, you prat. I mean, you haven't pulled any pranks yet." Lily said, searching for the right words to portray just how he was different.

"It's only the first day of term." James pointed out.

Lily shrugged.

"That's never stopped you before."

James sighed, fiddling absentmindedly with the ends of his school robes.

"And you haven't-". Lily stopped mid-sentence, looking at the ground.

"Haven't what?" James asked.

Lily shook her head dismissively, still looking determinedly at the floor.

"Tell me!" He laughed, poking her in the side.

"Potter!" She growled, swatting his hand away.

James froze, his eyes never leaving Lily.

"I haven't asked you out yet, that's it, isn't it?" He said softly.

Lily still didn't look up.

James ran a hand through his hair.

"I guess I'm tired of pestering you, Lily. You don't want to date me. I get it." He gave her a sad smile.

Lily finally lifted her head up, her face purposely blank.

"I just don't want to argue anymore. New Year, new start… right?" He offered, with a bit more desperation evident in his voice than he would've liked.

Lily's mouth twitched and she shrugged her shoulders.

"As long as you keep in line, Potter."

James laughed, and lifted himself off the ground, brushing himself down.

"Promise. Marauder's honor." He placed his hand on his heart. Lily snorted.

"I'm going to hit the hay. Coming?" He asked.

Lily shook her head.

"No, I'm just going to sit for a while."

James nodded, and started to walk up towards the staircase. Lily turned to the fire, staring into the flames.

"Oh, and Lily?"

Lily turned around, to see James peeking out from behind the wall.

"Sweet dreams." He winked.

Lily opened her mouth to speak, but before she had a chance he was gone, leaving Lily sitting there dumbfounded, her mind whizzing with a million thoughts.

The loudest and most immediate one being,

_What the hell just happened?_

**A/N: Please review after reading! I love hearing from you guys, and I love feedback! Thank you to my beta, faithless98.**


	3. Chapter 3

/

Everything was dark.

Lily couldn't see a thing.

She could barely even see her own hand in front of her face.

"Hello?" She called desperately, her hair whipping around as she spun on the spot, trying frantically to find the slightest clue as to where she was.

"Is anyone there? Hello?!" She yelled again, her voice wavering slightly.

And then...

Voices.

"Oh thank Merlin!" Lily cried, attempting to locate exactly where the sound was coming from. She listened for a moment, before realisation dawned on her.

The voices weren't from the present.

They were from the past.

_"Hi, I'm James!"_

_"Hi, I'm Lily!"_

Lily's eyes widened as she heard her 11 year old self speak.

She remembered this!

This was when she and James first met!

She glanced around, looking for any image at all to accompany the obvious memory, but nothing but the eerie darkness surrounded her.

_"James! You just knocked all my books over!"_

Lily cringed as her younger, whiny voice filled the room.

_"Sorry Lily. I have places to be, people to prank. You shouldn't carry so many books around anyway!" James' voice replied breezily, with the same air of arrogance that he always carried around with him._

Oh god. That was the Potter she knew and hated. Not this new one.

_"Potter! Stop it! Put him down! Now!"_

Lily swallowed nervously as those few detached words alone made her palms feel sweaty. This was that day by the lake, in fifth year.

_"Only if you go out with me, Evans!"_

_"Not a chance, Potter."_

Lily bit her lip as the scene continued to play out.

_"Go on, Evans. Go out with me."_

Lily's breath hitched as James' booming voice echoed through the darkness.

_"I wouldn't go out with you if it was a choice between you and the giant squid!"_

She winced at the harsh tone of her voice; her detestation was so blindingly obvious in every syllable she spat at him. Lily remembered the whole ordeal as though it had happened just yesterday.

There was a pause in the dialogue, and all Lily could hear was heavy breathing, before a soft thud rang out.

_"You're lucky Evans was here, Snivellus!" James yelled._

A different voice now, one that Lily knew only too well.

_"I don't need help from that filthy little Mudblood!" Severus' sharp voice pierced the unnerving temporary silence, and Lily felt the bitter sting of those words as they pierced her chest too._

_"You take that back! Apologise to Evans!" James cried out._

Lily put her head in her hands. Where the hell was she? When were these voices going to stop?

Now, the voices were all running into one another, at such a pace that Lily couldn't fully distinguish them.

_"Go out with me!"_

_"You know you want to!"_

_"I don't want to argue anymore."_

_"You don't want to date me."_

Now, a new voice.

One she hadn't heard before. She could tell it was James, but she couldn't place the time she had heard it.

_"Lily! Go! Now!"_

_The voice was panicked, and desperate confusing Lily further._

_"Lily! Go!"_

_"Lily!"_

_"Lily!"_

"Lily!" Lily gasped as her eyes snapped open, her head jerking up rapidly.

"Sssh! Binns will notice!" Alice scolded her.

Lily gazed around blearily at the classroom full of students, each of their faces displayed identical vacant stares ensuring her confidence that none of them were paying the slightest bit of attention to anything Professor Binns, their ghost teacher, was saying.

_So much for learning about the History of Magic._

The red head turned back to look at Alice, who was currently fixing her with a look of concern, her blue eyes focused on Lily. "I've been calling you for like five minutes, Lils."

"What happened?" Lily asked, drowsily.

"You fell asleep! Did you get any sleep at all last night?" Alice probed.

Lily sighed and rubbed at her temples with both hands.

"It was too hot in the room." Lily lied, opting to looking down at her desk rather than at Alice's sceptical stare.

Truth be told, Lily had been up all night fretting about James. It seemed no matter how much she wished he would, he wouldn't just bugger off out of her thoughts.

At all.

Not even during the bloody day! Although, she hadn't had any dreams like the one she'd just had last night. All of last night's dreams had come with images.

Alice shook her head, looking amused.

"You're a witch. Use a cooling charm tonight, maybe?" Alice suggested with a half-smile.

Lily let out a nervous laugh.

"Ha, oh yeah...didn't think of that." She mumbled.

Alice chuckled.

"Where you having a dream or something? You looked pretty restless in your sleep." The blonde asked.

Lily paused, wondering whether or not to tell Alice about her crazy, James Potter related dream. She decided against it. There was a whole lot more going on there, and she didn't think she could tell Alice about her dreams without anything of major importance spilling out.

"Um, yeah I think I was. But I can't remember any of it now!" She said, attempting to sound as casual as was possible.

"Really." Alice said, raising her eyebrows incredulously at Lily.

Lily nodded, daring herself to look Alice in the eyes. And it seemed her daring paid off as, eventually, Alice shrugged and looked back down at her textbook.

"All right then. As long as you're okay." She said simply.

Lily breathed a sigh of relief.

"We better actually listen now. I want to at least pass this exam at the end of the year." Alice muttered.

Lily tried to smile, but she still couldn't shake the horrible, empty feeling that the dream had left her with.

/

"What's this I hear about the head girl falling asleep during class? And History of Magic as well? Oh the scandal!" Marlene cackled later on that day, placing her hand on her heart as she feigned shock.

Lily narrowed her eyes and gave her dark haired friend a playful shove.

"Shut it, Mar." She grumbled, folding her arms over her chest.

It was lunchtime, and the girls had decided to ditch the Great Hall in favour for enjoying the summer sun. All three of them were sitting on a brick wall, their legs swinging over the edge.

"No but seriously Lil. You never fall asleep in class. Ever. What's gotten into you? You and Potter have a mad party last night?" Marlene smirked.

Lily shook her head, and tried to rearrange her features into a convincing smile.

"Nope. I just couldn't sleep is all." She replied quietly, crunching on a crisp.

Marlene looked at Alice, who seemed to be observing the conversation unfold with great interest, before studying Lily carefully. After a few seconds, Marlene's eyes widened, and her eyebrows shot up. She let out a gasp, and Lily swallowed nervously. Did Marlene know about her weird, Potter themed dreams?

Marlene pointed at Lily, her eyes still wide.

"I know what it is! You're missing your old dorm mates!" She exclaimed, a triumphant grin appearing on her face. Lily let out a sigh of relief, before smiling over at her two friends.

"Of course I am! That's probably it…well, that and the heat." Lily added at the end, for Alice's sake.

Alice giggled, and threw an arm over Lily.

"Aw, Lilykins. I didn't know you cared." She batted her eyelashes at Lily, who proceeded to roll her eyes at her friend.

"Right. Ok then." She chuckled, shrugging Alice off her. Alice grinned, before hopping down off the wall.

"Well ladies. I'm afraid this is where I bid you farewell." Alice bent down into a low bow as Lily and Marlene looked on, slightly amused.

"I must go and meet my knight in shining armour." She feigned swooning, flicking her long blonde hair dramatically over her shoulder.

Marlene pulled a face.

"Who?" She said, confused.

Alice gave her a light whack on the arm.

"Frank, you dolt." Alice said, rolling her eyes at Marlene.

"Oh." Marlene replied, before shrugging, and taking another handful of crisps.

Alice sighed, before gathering up her bag. She blew the two girls a kiss, before dashing across the grounds towards the castle.

Marlene sighed, and leaned her head against Lily's shoulder.

"She's so lucky." She muttered, sadly.

Lily turned her head, to look at her best friend.

"Who?" Lily asked, slightly worried at the speed in which Marlene's mood had changed.

"Al." She sighed, fiddling absentmindedly with a lock of Lily's red hair. "You know, with having Frank and all."

Lily gave her a wistful smile.

"Yeah. She is." Lily agreed, as she lifted her head to look out over the Hogwarts grounds.

"Although, I didn't really think that was your style, Marlene. You've never really been the relationship type when it comes to guys." Lily admitted. Marlene gave a small laugh against Lily's shoulder.

"Yeah. That's right. And I'm not saying I've seen the light, or any of that mushy crap." She assured her, pulling a disgusted face. Lily laughed, shaking her head slightly. "I'm just saying, someday…I'd like a relationship like that. Maybe not right now…but someday."

Lily was quiet for a moment.

"You know what? I'd like that too." She finally said.

Marlene laughed. "We can have a joint wedding!" She squealed. Lily giggled, leaning her head on top of her friends.

"You got anyone in mind then? You know, to be your future husband?" Lily teased. Marlene raised an eyebrow, and gave Lily a mischievous smile.

"Possibly. But you know me, I'll go after what I want, so chances are you'll notice eventually." She smirked and Lily opened her mouth to respond, but Marlene shook her head. "What about you then, Evans?"

Lily shook her head, but she could feel her face starting to heat up under Marlene's suspicious stare. Marlene looked like she was about to say something, when they were interrupted by a booming voice, addressing them from across the way.

"Hello Evans! McKinnon!" Sirius yelled at them from a few meters away.

The girls sat up as the marauders came bounding over to them.

"Spiffing day, isn't it ladies?" Sirius said cheerfully, hopping up onto the wall next to Marlene.

Marlene smirked, looking him up and down.

"Just got a whole lot better, if you ask me." She replied cheekily. Sirius gave her a sly smile, flipping his hair out of his eyes.

Lily's eyes were about the size of saucers at this point as she looked on at the pair.

_What is Marlene doing?_

Lily was too absorbed in the exchange that was going on between Marlene and Sirius to notice the rest of the marauders hopping onto the wall as well. She only acknowledged their presence when someone leant rather close to her, and whispered in her ear.

"Hello, Evans."

Lily jumped and let out a squeal as her head snapped to her left, only to be met with those god damn hazel eyes that had so rudely invaded her dreams last night.

"Potter, you have got to stop doing that!" Lily groaned. James inclined his head slightly, a bemused smile on his face.

"Stop doing what?" He asked sweetly.

Lily rolled her eyes.

"Sneaking up on me." She said pointedly, her eyes narrowing as she did so. James chuckled, and sat up a little straighter.

"Sorry. My bad." He said, running his hand through his hair.

"Hello, Lily. Marlene." A soft, smooth voice greeted them. Marlene was too wrapped up in Sirius to notice, but Lily heard.

Lily looked forward to see Remus was not sitting on the wall, but standing in front of her.

"Remus!" She exclaimed happily, before jumping off the wall and launching herself into Remus's arm. He made a surprised noise, but returned Lily's hug with the same amount of affection.

"It's been ages!" Lily smiled as they broke apart.

Remus nodded. "Indeed it has. I mean look at you. Head girl!" He teased. Lily shrugged, a small smile on her face.

"You got prefect though! So we'll still have our daily catch ups during rounds." Lily said hopefully, her eyes fleeting up to meet Remus's.

Remus grinned and put his arm around her. "Of course we will! Wouldn't miss them for anything." Lily laughed, and Remus removed his arm. Lily went back to sit on the wall, but she didn't miss the look on James' face before she did so. He looked…

Angry?

Fed up?

Sad?

_I don't pretend to have the slightest idea what goes on in that boys head…but it can't be good._

Whatever it was, she couldn't help but feel bad for him. She didn't know why. She'd hated Potter merely a few days ago.

"Hi, Lily. Marlene." A slightly squeaker voice greeted the girls and another boy appeared from beside Remus. Again, Marlene didn't hear.

_What is that girl playing at?_

"Hello, Peter." She smiled kindly, nodding at the blonde boy.

Potter still didn't move an inch, and he still had that look on his face. That look was making Lily feel really bad…there was only one thing for it. Lily gave him a gentle nudge. He looked up, his face still set with ' the look'. She took a deep breath.

"James." She started off, although she couldn't help noticing how weird it felt to say his first name, or even acknowledge he had one. He already looked remotely better at hearing his name, so it was going well.

"Are you free tonight? We should probably start scheduling all of the prefect's patrols and all the meetings and things." She said quietly, her eyes searching his for a reaction. James' eyes flickered with something, she wasn't sure what, before a huge grin appeared on his face.

"Of course, Lily! I can do that!" He replied happily, and Lily had to fight back a giggle. He paused for a moment, realising how giddy he sounded. "Yeah, that sounds cool. I could clear my schedule." He added in a much lower voice. Lily smirked.

"Good. Our common room? Say…7 O'clock?" She suggested.

James nodded vigorously.

"I'll be there." He grinned. "Probably." He added in that low voice, taming his smile into a far meeker one.

Lily smiled back, before turning to find out exactly how enthralling the conversation between Marlene and Sirius was for it to absorb the two so completely in it.

"It's really hot today, isn't it?" Marlene said, leaning back and fanning herself. Sirius' eyes widened.

"Why, yes you are." He said, flirtatiously.

Marlene giggled, throwing her hair over her shoulder.

"Oh, stop it you." She smiled, giving him a playful punch.

Sirius waggled his eyebrows, uncannily similarly to how Marlene had done so on the platform a couple days ago.

"Feisty. I like it." He added in a low voice. Marlene rolled her eyes, but it was obvious she was enjoying herself.

"Right boys! We better go, if you want help on that Transfiguration essay." Remus called out, as he hopped off the wall, Peter and James following.

"I'll see you Evans. I hope you can manage without my dazzling presence until seven!" He grinned. Lily rolled her eyes at him.

_I have got to stop doing that!_

"I think I'll cope, Potter." She replied breezily. He gave her a wink, and Lily gave him a rather rude hand gesture in return. He pretended to be hurt, but he was still laughing.

"Aw, come on Moony! I'd much rather stay here and talk to Marlene." Sirius whined. Remus rolled his eyes.

"Fine, go ahead. If you want detention from McGonagall, that is." He said simply.

Sirius paused for a moment, before sighing and jumping off the wall.

"And now, my dearest Marlene, I must leave you. I pray our paths will cross once more." He announced theatrically, placing a kiss on her hand, before rushing after the Marauders.

Marlene didn't have time for a response so settled for gazing dreamily at the spot Sirius had been only moments ago.

"Hey Marlene?" Lily asked, breaking the silence that had developed between them.

"Yes, Lily?" Marlene replied, turning to face her best friend.

"What the_ hell_ was that?" Lily demanded, her eyes wide and eyebrows arranged into an inquisitive frown.

Marlene simply laughed, and leant over to lean her head on Lily's shoulder.

"That, my dear, was going after what I want."

**A/N: Thank you for reading! Review please! I welcome feedback! A big shout out to my beta, faithless98! In your reviews, tell me this: What do you think of Marlene and Sirius as a pairing? Oh, and I hope you all have a very happy Easter!**


	4. Chapter 4

_Ways that I can get over 'This 'Potter thing' (yes, I have named it. No it's not very inventive, but I don't have time for creativeness at present)._

_By Lily Evans._

_Plan A – Completely ignore the git. You remember what he used to be like, Evans. Get over yourself, and be realistic. You can't suddenly like him after two days._

_Pros to this plan_

_1. You can go back to living your life just like you did before there was a tiny little version of James Potter running about your head screaming, "Love me Lily, love me Lily!"_

_2. You can stop having urges to be Potter's... friend. Just his friend. Which is bad enough!_

_3. You can sleep peacefully at night, with no more Potter related dreams! (Probably. I've never really trusted my sub conscious to behave, if I'm honest.)_

_Cons to this plan_

_1. I don't actually want to ignore him. However much I wish I wasn't, I am intrigued by this new, improved James Potter. He's luring me in…maybe that's his plan. If it is, by Merlin, it's working._

_2. See con number one._

_3. See con number two._

_Plan B – Talk to Marlene and Alice about it._

_Pros to this plan_

_1. They're your best friends. They will have an insightful, intelligent view on the whole situation._

_Cons to this plan_

_1. Marlene and Alice would never even be able to voice a coherent thought about the situation, let alone be insightful and intelligent. They'd be bloody delirious about the fact that I've finally succumbed to the 'Potter charm.' Which I haven't. That's just what they'd think. Incorrectly._

_Plan C - Talk to your closest male friend about it – Remus._

_Pros to this plan_

_1. Remus certainly wouldn't go all gooey eyed on me. The likelihood is I would get some decent advice from him._

_Cons to this plan_

_1. He's far too close to person that can never, ever find out about this…this-thing. Potter has always had a way of knowing when one of his friends is keeping something from him. Way too risky._

_So that leaves… Umm... Well, I suppose I could..._

"Lily, what are you doing?"

_Oh crap._

She had gotten so lost in her plan making she'd forgotten she was meant to be helping Potter with the prefect meetings.

_Who would have thought it, eh? James doing all the work while I just sit and do nothing?_

Lily was starting to seriously consider the possibility that they had somehow been transported into a parallel universe. One where James Potter is head boy, and doesn't act like the arrogant prat, she'd been confident he was. One where she has an overly flirtatious best friend, who's flirting with someone that she previously hated.

_Wait a minute. Now, there's a thought. Maybe Marlene is going through the exact same thing as me? Except, she's just being more vocal about it. And Black hasn't even made any significant changes. Oh god, this is all too confusing._

"Um. What we're meant to be doing, Potter. Obviously." She laughed nervously, suddenly finding it incredibly difficult to look him in the eye.

"Right. So, why are you writing in that little notebook, instead of on the schedule sheets?" He asked, sounding somewhat bemused.

Lily looked up at him slowly, and gave a shrug of her shoulders.

"Note taking. All the great academics do it." She said matter-of-factly.

Potter raised an eyebrow, and went to dip his quill in the pot of ink, a small smile on his face.

"You know, Evans, it's alright to goof off, once in a while. It's not illegal. In fact, it's encouraged." He told her in a soft voice.

Lily snorted. "Encouraged where, exactly? The James Potter Academy for Young Hooligans?" She offered sarcastically.

James looked up, his eyes wide in mock horror.

"Hey! That's a rather prestigious school, I'll have you know." He protested.

Lily shot him a look, trying to get across the statement ' Potter, I'm really not amused.' using just her face.

"And no Lily, I was talking about society." He corrected, as he started to write on the sheet, not looking up at her.

She rolled her eyes at him.

"Who says I was goofing off anyway, hmm? I don't goof off, Potter, just because you don't do work. Voluntarily, anyway." She mumbled.

James looked up, his eyebrows furrowed.

"I wasn't that bad, last year, Evans." He defended.

Lily shook her head.

"You were still the complete opposite of this, though." She said simply, waving her hand in his direction.

James sighed. "Is that a bad thing?"?

Lily paused for a moment, to contemplate this.

"No. Of course not. But it's... hard to take in, is all." She said.

James sighed, and finally shut the large book he was writing in as he leaned back in his chair.

"I thought we covered this yesterday." He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

Lily narrowed her eyes at him.

"Yes, but only briefly. You think that was enough to satisfy me?" She huffed.

James tilted his head slightly, studying Lily for a moment.

"Why not? Can't you just accept that I've grown up? I mean, we were fine yesterday." said James

Lily scrunched up her nose and let out a harsh laugh.

"Potter, you just don't get it do you?"

James looked confused.

"Get what?"

Lily groaned in frustration, and stood up.

"I know you. At least, I thought I knew you. For six years, I had you pegged. You were arrogant. You thought the whole world revolved around you, that guys wanted to be you, and girls wanted to be with you. You were ignorant. You did things, to make people laugh, to make people like you, but you didn't think of what you were doing to other people. How you were hurting them, whether it was with your words or your hexes. You were selfish in that way too. You thought you could get everything you wanted, when you wanted, because you are James Potter. But it didn't work that way. It doesn't work that way. You-"

Lily stopped. She was out of breath and red in the face from her rant. She was going to continue, but did she really need to? She thought she'd gotten her point out across.

James stared down at the floor for what seemed like forever, before he too stood up, his jaw set.

"That was who I was, Lily. I can't deny that. Not all of us were born perfect and mature, you know," Lily flinched at his harsh tone. "I was all of those things. But why does that have to define how I act for the rest of my life? Just because you have made up your mind about me, doesn't mean I need to act like a twat until I'm old and grey." James paused for a moment, looking as though he was debating whether to carry on or not. "And ' I always got what I wanted?' The thing that I wanted, more than anything, was _you,_ Lily! And you despised me! You'd made your snap judgements and dismissed me. Now, I'm trying to change, trying to better myself, and you won't stop questioning me!"

Lily's eyes flared.

"Look, Potter," she hissed, pointing her finger at him, "I do _not_ make snap judgements. That judgement was built up over a long period of time. And I'm questioning you, because you're expecting me to forget about everything you did during those six years, and welcome you into my life with open arms. I can't forget, James. You've been like this for just under two days. I need time. It's weird for me!" Lily's voice was raised, but she no longer sounded angry. Tired and confused were probably better fitted.

James frowned at her, and sat down, looking crestfallen.

Lily sighed, and sat down as well.

She hesitated, before speaking again.

"I do want us to get along, James. I do, really. But I can't just suddenly be your friend. I need to get to know you."

James was silent for a moment, before he stood up, and looked Lily in the eye.

"I... part of the reason I changed, Lily, was because I was sick and tired of being insulted, and criticized by you. I put on a brave face but it hurt. And I do want us to be friends. I really, really do. But... don't keep me waiting for too long. I don't want to get my hopes up and then you decide you don't want me as a friend after all."

And with that, he walked out of the room. Lily stared at the spot he'd been standing in, desperately attempting to process what had just happened before she gave up and. grabbing her book, left too.

/

Later that night, Lily lay on her bed, only dimly aware of the reality surrounding her as she allowed herself to get lost in a particularly good book, one she was rather fond of actually. Reading had always been her way of dealing with things and she'd found she'd been quite dependent on it recently. Stepping into another place entirely was so therapeutic; Lily's personal opinion was that it should be prescribed as a treatment for stress of any kind. However, someone obviously disagreed with her as she vaguely registered a knock at her door. With that knock, all her real life worries and concerns returned with a vengeance. There was no time for thinking of those now, she had to deal with her immediate problem.

Who was at her door? What if it was James? She didn't have the slightest idea what she would say to him if it was.

Reluctantly, Lily shut her book, though not before marking her place, and dragged herself from her bed to answer the door.

"Sirius?"

Standing at her door, with his hands in his pockets and looking rather shifty, was Sirius Black. It was pretty safe to say, she hadn't expected him to be the one at her door.

"Let me in before James sees Evans. Hurry!" Sirius urged.

Lily was a little taken back as she stepped to the side and let Sirius into her room, poking her head out the door to check James was definitely nowhere in sight before she shut it.

Lily had never really had a problem with Black, shocking as that may be. He was everything James had been, obviously, but he hadn't tried to ask her out in various humiliating and insulting ways, and ever since they'd been partnered up in Charms in their fourth year, they'd actually gotten on rather well. The only issue was Sirius' awkwardness that she had harshly rejected his best friend so many times, which was understandable but aside from this their friendship was rather good. Lily found Sirius to be quite funny and they often had a good laugh together.

Sirius hopped onto Lily's bed, not hesitating in stretching right out on it, his feet up.

"Please, make yourself at home." She murmured sarcastically as she opted to curl up into a ball in the arm chair nearest the bed.

"Are you and Potter playing hide and seek or something?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

Sirius chuckled.

"No. I needed to talk to you, actually. We can have a conversation, right?" He asked.

Lily nodded.

"Yes, we've had many before. But you never usually seek me out to have them unless it's important. So, what's up?" Lily asked, putting aside her bitterness towards Sirius' ill-timed arrival and replacing it with concern.

Sirius gave her a half smile as he sat up, turning to face her.

"It's about Prongs." He confessed quietly.

"Ah. The reason he can't know your here." She realised.

Sirius nodded.

"What exactly happened at your little heads meeting? James came to our dormitory in a rather foul mood, and I only got a few rough details out of him. Spill, Evans." He said, giving her arm a playful shove.

Lily squirmed.

"It was really nothing."

Sirius narrowed his eyes dubiously.

"Okay, it was something." She admitted, putting her hands up, "we had a... small argument. About his recent personality change."

Sirius' face lit up and he responded enthusiastically. "Ah! You've noticed it too!"

Lily rolled her eyes.

"It would be a bit hard not to. It's quite a big difference." She stated.

Sirius shrugged.

"I guess. But why did you argue? I thought you, of all people, would love the new him! He's gone and done everything you've wanted him to do since fourth year!" Sirius questioned.

"Yeah. I do. But he expects me to not be even the slightest bit unsure, when one minute he's a full of himself toe rag, and the next minute he's the epitome of perfection?" Lily countered.

Sirius shook his head disbelievingly, his lips curling into a mischievous smile.

"Okay, one, I have no idea what epitome means." He began, and Lily rolled her eyes.

" And two, Merlin Lily, for the smartest girl in our year, you can be really dense sometimes." Sirius smirked.

Lily raised an eyebrow.

"Gee thanks Sirius. You really know how to make me smile." She deadpanned.

"A talent of which I'm very proud." Sirius remarked, with a tilt of his head, "And I didn't mean to offend you. I meant, that the thing that's pushed James into reforming himself, is you!"

Lily blinked at him.

"So, of course he expects you to be over the moon! James Potter has _finally_ listened to you! He's grown up, so you can accept him! Let him into your life! And you push him away, Lily." Sirius said.

Lily groaned.

"I did not push him away! I am glad that James is finally becoming responsible. But it's not logical for me and him to become best buddies after two days. How would that look? One minute I hate him, the next I don't?" Lily countered.

"I guess you're right." He admitted, looking away from her for a long moment.

Lily smiled.

"Thank you." Lily said sincerely.

"But be warned, Evans. If you lead my best mate on, you will feel the full extent of my wrath." Sirius warned, wagging his finger.

"I wouldn't want it any other way, Black." She smirked.

Sirius smiled, and stretched his legs out.

"Well, I better be going. I'll see you tomorrow, Lily flower." Sirius said

Lily scowled at the pet name as Sirius jumped up and walked to the door. Just as he was opening it, he paused, and looked back at her.

"Just one question though, Evans."

Lily looked up.

"Go ahead."

Sirius scratched the back of his head, and spoke very quickly before leaving, letting his question hang in the air.

"You say you hated him. But answer me this; did you ever _really_ hate him?"

**A/N: Thank you for reading! Review, as always! Any questions I'll answer in the next chapter! Thanks again to my beta, faithless98.**


End file.
